Telephone pad

ABSTRACT

A looseleaf pad for listing selected telephone numbers is mounted on binder means that provides a hinge connecting the aligned outer ends of a rectangular blank of light cardboard or the like which is doubled upon itself on a center line of fold to constitute a two-ply pad holder. The holder is apertured to engage over the front pair of handpiece cradle posts of a cradle type telephone, or to engage over the ends of the handpiece holder fork lever of a conventional wall mounted telephone. Each section of the blank between its outer end and the center line of fold is formed with an additional line of fold parallel to the center line, whereby the portions of the sections between the center line and the additional lines of fold may be flattened in a common plane to provide the base or floor of a tent-shaped structure whereof the remaining portions of the sections are the sides and the binder is the ridge. In this condition, the assembly is usable independently of a telephone, simply as a desk or table top pad and holder.

United States Patent [191 Gavin et a1.

[ July 30, 1974 TELEPHONE PAD [76] Inventors: Thomas W. Gavin, 3380Merrick Rd., Seaford, 11783; Arthur S. Friedman, 2144 Seneca Dr.,Merrick, both of NY. 11566 22 Filed: Mar. 21, 1973 211 Appl. No.:343,242

[52] US. Cl 281/15, 281/33, 40/336 [51] Int. Cl. G09f 3/04 [58] Field ofSearch 40/336, 339, 119, 120;

281/33, 15 R, 15 A, 15 B, 45

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,983,443 12/1934 Duceska etal 281/15 B 2,626,479 l/l953 Marrits 40/336 FOREIGN PATENTS QRAPPLICATIONS 1.019.995 11/1957 Germany 281/33 1,360,980 4/1964 France545,656 6/1942 Great Britain 281/33 Primary Examiner-.1. H. WolffAttorney, Agent, or Firm-Dennison, Dennison, Townshend & Meserole tabletop pad and holder.

[5 7] ABSTRACT A looseleaf pad for listing selected telephone numbers ismounted on binder means that provides a hinge connecting the alignedouter ends' of a rectangular blank of light cardboard or the like whichis doubled upon itself on a center line of fold to constitute a twoplypad holder. The holder is apertured to engage over the front pair ofhandpiece cradle posts of a cradle type telephone, or to engage over theends of the handpiece holder fork lever of a conventional wall mountedtelephone.

Each section of the blank between its outer end and the center line offold is formed with an additional line of fold parallel to the centerline, whereby the portions of the sections between the center line andthe additional lines of fold may be flattened in a common plane toprovide the base or floor of a tent-shaped structure whereof theremaining portions of the sections are the sides and the binder is theridge. In this condition, the assembly is usable independently of atelephone, simply as a desk or V wP ains 4 Pravinsfisila 1 TELEPHONE PADBACKGROUND The field of the invention is the art of telephone memo'padsthat are constructed and arranged for attachment to the bodies oftelephone instruments.

The prior art is replete with various assemblies of 1 memo pads andholders for attachment to various types of telephones, particularlythose of the cradle type having a dial or push button means forselecting a desired number to be called. For the most part, the pads aremounted on stiff holder panels that extend upwardly and backward fromthe telephone instrument body, which is not always a convenientarrangement where space is limited. Furthermore, the looseleaf sheets orindex cards of a pad so mounted may, and often do, fall forwardly andobscure the face of the selector dial.

' SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a telephone pad ofsimple, inexpensive construction that may be attached to a telephoneinstrument in such manner as to be supported from the handpiece holderposts of a cradle type telephone or from the fork lever handpiece holderof a wall mounted telephone with equal facility and without in any waydisturbing the relative positions of the component parts of the padassembly. The assembly is a looseleaf pad of phone number index sheetsor cards mounted on a metal or plastic spiral binder which serves alsoas a hinge which not only connects both plies of a two-ply pad backingand holder, but also provides a hinge connecting the pad with itsholder. The completed assembly is constructed and arranged so that themajor portion of the two-ply holder seats loosely on and over the faceof the conventional selector dial of the' phone instrument with the padswung back and over the dial covering portion of the holder, so that thepad is presented at the best optical angle for reading from a pointabove and in front of the instrument. When the desired information isobtained from the pad it, together with its underlying sections of theholder, may be swung as a unit up and slightly back over the emptyhandpiece cradle so that it will not interfere with the reading andoperation of the dial or push buttons of the instrument. The weight ofthe inclined unit of pad and underlying holder sections is such that thepad cannot inadvertently fall forward over the dial, and will not do sountil moved manually.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS DETAILED DESCRIPTION The phone index comprisingthe present invention is a three-part assembly consisting of a looseleaf pad ar ranged as a card index for a selection of telephone numbers,a holder therefor, and hinge means connecting the two. As shown in FIG.4, the holder is formed from a flat rectangular blank of light cardboardor similar material having a central line of fold 10 intermediate itsends 11 and 12 and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the blank,providing first and second sections 13 and 14, respectively, that arefoldable upon themselves. The outer end edges of the sections 13 and 14are perpendicular to their side edges. In the section 13 a second lineof fold 15 is provided in the body of the blank intermediate the centerfold line 10 and its outer end edge 11. This second line of fold isparallel to the center line of fold 10 and much closer thereto than tothe end 11, thus establishing in the section 13 an inner end zone 16 inthe area between the two lines of fold. This zone has therein a pair oftransversely aligned apertures 17, each of which is spaced slightlyinward from its adjacent side edge of the blank and closer to the centerline of fold 10 than to the fold line 15. A wall hook reception hole 18is provided between the apertures 17 on the longitudinal axis of theblank.

The section 14 of the blank is reversely identical to the section 13,having a second line of fold 19 corresponding to the fold line 15 ofthat section, and having also an inner end zone 20, apertures 21, andhole 22 corresponding to their counterparts in the section 13.

The marginal portion of the outer end 11 of the blank is provided with aseries of holes 23 slightly inward from and parallel to the end edge,and in like manner the marginal portion of the other outer end 12 of theblank is provided with a similar series of holes 24. The function ofthese holes 23 and'24 is to mount binder means 25, here shown as aspiral coil binder, by which the ends 11 and 12 of the sections may beconnected in hinged relation, and which mounts also inhinged relationthe component sheets or cards of a phone number looseleaf pad indicatedgenerally by the reference character 26. This pad may be printed on itsexposed covers with any selected indicia for utilitarian and advertisingpurposes; which may include a calendar, not shown.

OPERATION When the assembly is not attached to a telephone, it may serveas a tented index, as shown in FIG 1.ln such case, the blank of FIG. 4is first folded upon itself on the center line 10 and the free ends 11and 12 are connected in hinged relation by threading the spiral binder25 through the series of holes 23 and 24in the conventional manner ofsuch assemblies, with the index pad 26 already attached to the binder.The sections 13 and 14 are then manipulated by spreading apart withtheir inner end zone portions 16 and 20 infolded on their respectivefold lines 15 and 19 so that they lie in a common plane to form thefloor or base of the tent, with the binder constituting, in effect, itsridge. The tented assembly can be seated on any convenient flathorizontal surface with the index pad 26 depending from the binder andinclined in easy reading position on the front faceof the assembly.

It will be seen from FIG. 4 that the side edges of the blank areinwardly and oppositely recessed in the zone of the center line of fold10 to provide recesses 27 whereof the walls are rounded and thus formshoulders tions 13 and 14 in face contact after folding on the centerline 10. In this position, the inner end zone portions 16 and 20 of thesections are also in face contact and their apertures ,17, 18, 21 and 22are respectively in registry. Also when in this position, the centerfold line defines the upper endof the assembly and the hinge binder 25defines its lower end in the service relationship of the parts as shownin FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 illustrates the index assembly as attached in service position ona telephone 29 of the cradle type. when the assembly is installed, thetelephone handpiece is lifted from its cradle, the registering apertures17 and 21 of the doubled over end zone portions of the blank are engagedover the front pair of the cradle posts 31, the face contacting sectionsare laid over the conventional dial 32 (which may be a touch-tone panel)and the handpiece is replaced in the holder, seating'on the doubled endzone portions 16 and and the shoulders 28 of the assembly. When thehandpiece is in position, the conventional enlarged circular endportions constituting-its earpiece and mouthpiece, respectively, hangdown through the clearance recesses 27, so that the shank of thehandpiece may rest on and depress the conventional switch operatingplungers (not seen) of the instrument. The pad 26 is arranged so that itseats on the upper faceof that area of the assembly which overlies thedial area. 7

FIG. 3 illustrates the application of the index assembly to aconventional wall type telephone 33, in which its handpiece 34 issuspended from the fork 35 of its holder. In this installation, theassembly of blank and pad as shown in FIG. 2 is also suspended from thefork of the handpiece holder, with the registering apertures 4 l7 and 21engaged over the holder fork 35, and with the pad 26 suspendedvertically from the hinge binder 25. I

We claim: l 1. A pad assembly for attachment to a cradle type telephoneinstrument, comprising in combination: a onepiece elongated rectangularblank of light'cardboard or the like having intermediate its ends acentral line of fold parallel to the ends of the blank and dividing itinto two identical sections; each section having anindivid- 'u al lineof fold parallel to said central line of fold; said individual lines offold being spaced equally from the central line of fold and closer tothat line than to the end edges of their respective sections; theportion of each section between its individual line of fold and thecentral line of fold having a pair of identical apertures alignedtransversely between the side edges of its section and spaced inwardlytherefrom; said apertures in each section being constructed and arrangedto engage over the cradle posts of a telephone instrument when appliedthereto, and being closer to the central line of fold than to theiradjacent individual line of fold; the

side edges of the blank at the ends of said central line of fold beinginwardly and equally recessed between the central line of fold and saidsection apertures, and being constructed and arranged to provideclearance for adjacentportions of the earpiece and the mouthpiece of atelephone instrument when applied thereto;

connecting the adjoining ends of the folded blank; and

a plurality of loose leaf index sheets in pad form mounted on the bindermeans in hinged relation thereto and'to the respective ends of theblank.

1. A pad assembly for attachment to a cradle type telephone instrument,comprising in combination: a one-piece elongated rectangular blank oflight cardboard or the like having intermediate its ends a central lineof fold parallel to the ends of the blank and dividing it into twoidentical sections; each section having an individual line of foldparallel to said central line of fold; said individual lines of foldbeing spaced equally from the central line of fold and closer to thatline than to the end edges of their respective sections; the portion ofeach section between its individual line of fold and the central line offold having a pair of identical apertures aligned transversely betweenthe side edges of its section and spaced inwardly therefrom; saidapertures in each section being constructed and arranged to engage overthe cradle posts of a telephone instrument when applied thereto, andbeing closer to the central line of fold than to their adjacentindividual line of fold; the side edges of the blank at the ends of saidcentral line of fold being inwardly and equally recessed between thecentral line of fold and said section apertures, and being constructedand arranged to provide clearance for adjacent portions of the earpieceand the mouthpiece of a telephone instrument when applied thereto; saidblank being doubled upon itself in full face contact on the central lineof fold; ring binder means hingedly connecting the adjoining ends of thefolded blank; and a plurality of loose leaf index sheets in pad formmounted on the binder means in hinged relation thereto and to therespective ends of the blank.